PMI to Release Cert for Program Managers

The Project Management Institute (PMI) will launch a certification aimed at program managers sometime in the near future, according to the organization’s Web site. While the skill areas have not been explicitly delineated, the new credential is designed to recognize the qualifications of professionals who lead the coordinated management of multiple projects and ensure the ultimate success of a program.

The target market for the new certification will be “individuals who manage programs,” which PMI defines as people who initiate multiple projects, assign project managers to handle costs, timelines and objectives of component projects and work to ensure success and acceptance of an overall program. These programs involve activities that often span business units, organizations, regions and cultures.

Because they deal with so many different functions and personnel, program managers should have an understanding of finance, cross-cultural awareness, leadership, communication, influence, negotiation and conflict resolution. Additionally, they must be able to build credibility, establish rapport and maintain communication with stakeholders at multiple levels, including those eternal to the organization.

Candidates for the new PMI program manager certification will be evaluated through a sequence of assessments. The first of these stages is the application process, which will involve a review of applicants’ educational background by PMI staff, as well as an appraisal of their professional work experience by a panel of program managers.

The next step is the multiple-choice exam, in which candidates will have to demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge to a variety of situational or scenario-based questions. (The number of items and the duration of the exam have not yet been announced.) Finally, participants will go through a multi-rater assessment. In this phase, teams of raters candidates select will evaluate their competence in a work environment to perform relevant tasks of a program manager as defined through the examination.

Specific eligibility-acceptance criteria for the credential are pending final approval and will be released in the coming months. Keep checking to CertMag.com for additional information.